Schmeelk: 30 Years Later, It's Time For The Curse Of Ewing To End

By John Schmeelk
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Thirty years ago today, Dave Debusschere slammed his fist on the table as NBA Commissioner David Stern revealed that the Knicks would have the opportunity to select Patrick Ewing out of Georgetown University. Many raised their eyebrows over that stroke of luck, but the Knicks have certainly paid the price for that stroke of luck. The Curse of Ewing? A week from today, the Knicks hope to change things, as they have the second greatest chance of landing the top pick in the NBA draft. This year's Ewing could be Karl Anthony-Towns or Jahlil Okafor.

The Knicks need some luck, something they haven't had. This would be the first half of the Ewing curse. Since landing Ewing in the draft, the Knicks have only made a pick in the top five once, when they took Kenny "Sky" Walker a year after they landed Ewing, in 1986.

As for top 10 selections, the Knicks selected seventh in 2002, but traded a pick that would become Nene Hilario for Antonio McDyess.

They picked ninth in 2002 and took Michael Sweetney. (They could not find the luck to add players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade.)

Their eighth pick in 2005 became Channing Frye. The Knicks swapped picks with the Bulls in 2006 and 2007, landing them Renaldo Balkman and Wilson Chandler instead of LaMarcus Aldridge and Joakim Noah.

In 2008 the Knicks missed out on Kevin Love by one pick and Russell Westbrook by two before they selected Danilo Gallinari at six.

At number eight in 2009, the team picked Jordan Hill, one pick after Stephen Curry went to the Warriors.

The 2010 first-round pick went to the Jazz via the Suins, thanks to the Stephon Marbury trade.

The 2012 pick went to the Nuggets for Anthony, as did the 2014 first-rounder.

Want to feel even better about it? Since Ewing was traded from the Knicks on September 20, 2000, they have finished over .500 just three times. It has been bad management, but plenty of bad luck, too, just missing out on potential franchise players more than once thanks to the bounce of a ping-pong ball or two. The Curse of Ewing? The Knicks hit rock bottom this year, finishing with just 17 wins, the second worst record in the league and worst in franchise history. They have a 19.9 percent chance of landing the top pick, with only a slightly lower 18.8 perecent chance of finishing second. They have a 17 percent chance of finishing third, with fourth place the most likely spot at 31.9 percent. The dreaded fifth spot sits at a 12.3 percent probability.

Ewing was a great Knick, but he was never able to get the team a championship. Since the Knicks traded him, the franchise has been a virtual dumpster fire with only small glimpses of hope and success. The Curse of Ewing? Something can stem the tide, and this draft could be it.

While there is no player of Ewing's caliber, there are franchise-level players in picks one-four. Towns could be an All-Star-level two-way big man for 15 years. Okafor could be the best post player in the league for more than a decade. D'Angelo Russell is the type of slick passing combo guard who could make a team work. Emmanuel Mudiay is said to have Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook-level athleticism. Justise Winslow is an NBA-level athlete with many of the skills to match. Willie Cauley-Stein could be one of the most versatile defensive big men to ever come out of college.

The Knicks' luck needs to turn sooner or later, doesn't it? Perhaps simply to appease Phil Jackson's basketball gods, the Knicks should rehire Ewing in a coaching capacity before the lottery next Tuesday night. Maybe that will break the curse. Or maybe Jackson's luck of falling into all-time great players (Jordan, Kobe, Shaq) is all the team needs to land the top pick in the draft. The Knicks need some kind of spark to get this team going in the right direction. That spark needs to come next Tuesday night.

Landing the right player in this year's draft could be the final push the franchise needs to get out of the ditch it has been stuck in for the better part of a decade.

Seven days. For once, maybe the Knicks won't come up snake eyes.

It has been 30 years since the Knicks caught a huge break to land Ewing. They couldn't turn that into a championship, and it seems like they have been paying for that with bad draft experiences ever since. Once Ewing was traded the team descended into hell. The price has been paid. Thirty years is long enough. It's time for the right ping-pong ball to come up. It could make all the difference for the next 30 years.

I did a simulated NBA Draft Lottery Mock Draft on Tuesday. I won't do another. The Knicks picked first and took Towns. Foreshadowing, or just another tease that will end in disappointment? We'll know in seven days.

Schmeelk's Snippets

- You can stick a fork in the Rockets, but the other three NBA playoff series are tied at 2-2. The quality of basketball in the Eastern Conference is nowhere near the West, but the series are close and there should be at least one Game 7 this weekend. The Bulls either need to get Pau Gasol back or figure out a way to score better in the half court. Aside from a high screen-and-roll for Rose, their offense looks completely lost. The Cavs, meanwhile, with injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, are relying on LeBron James (and J.R. Smith -- yeah, seriously) to carry them against one of the best defenses in the league. The games have been ugly and the rest of them probably will be too.

- The Grizzlies have done great defensive work against the Warriors' guards, but in the end, Golden State will have too much firepower for the Grizz to contend with. The series might get to seven games, but barring something strange happening, the Warriors are going to move on.

- The Atlanta Hawks just don't look the same as they did earlier in the year. I can't believe it has everything to do with Thabo Sefolosha being out. Maybe it is chronic injuries to Al Horford and Paul Millsap. Whatever it is, they should not be having the issues they are having against a Wizards team without their best player, John Wall. I'm waiting for the game where the Hawks get hot and run away in a blowout, but maybe it will never come.

You can follow me on Twitter @Schmeelk for everything Knicks, Giants and the world of sports.